


You Are Not Alone

by scientificapricot



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: 3b canon divergence, Captain Charming Brotp, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, cs fluff at the end, rated t for some mild peril and violence, set somewhere between Neal's death and Ariel's arrival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21995791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scientificapricot/pseuds/scientificapricot
Summary: Killian is injured in a fight with Zelena’s flying monkeys. However, he finds that he doesn't have to deal with said injuries by himself.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones & Prince Charming | David Nolan, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 18
Kudos: 158
Collections: CSSECRETSANTA2k19





	You Are Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chookers38](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chookers38/gifts).



> Hi again, @cocohook38!! I present to you your gift! Thank you so much for your patience with me. I apologize for how long this took; my muse was not cooperating. It has been an absolute joy talking with you these past few weeks. Seriously, I had so much fun! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you an even better 2020! Hope you enjoy your gift! <3 <3 <3
> 
> Thank you so very very much to @cssecretsanta2k19 for running this event. You deserve the world. <3
> 
> A huge thanks also goes out to @ohmightydevviepuu for looking this over for me and catching some mistakes! <3
> 
> Also on Tumblr.

The still quiet of the forest brought on by recent snowfall is broken by the echoing bang of truck doors. **  
**

“You’re sure this is the right place?” Emma asks David.

“Yep, Little John said it was in the woods just north of the farmhouse.”

Killian surveys the forest before them, running his gaze over the treetops in an attempt to catch sight of Zelena’s minions. His breath comes out in visible puffs, the pervasive cold biting at his exposed chest, face, and hand. He suppresses a shiver, not wanting Emma to question his choice of clothing again; he doesn’t have any other options, not since he gave up his ship, and he isn’t very keen on her knowing that.

He turns to Emma as she approaches. “You ready, love?”

“As I’ll ever be,” she sighs. He distinctly hears her mutter something about _damn flying monkeys_.

Killian, Emma, Regina, and David head into the trees, the snow crunching under their feet. Emma stumbles over a branch, and Killian holds out his hooked arm to steady her. “Easy, Swan.”

She meets his gaze, and he can see her warring with herself; Emma is not one to easily accept help, and yet she knows that his action had been sincere.

“I’m okay. Thanks,” she says. Though she does not smile, her gaze softens, and she gives a nearly imperceptible nod in gratitude. Killian’s heart constricts slightly, then warms with a feeling of love and pride.

_Focus, mate. You can’t just stand here like a lovestruck schoolboy._

He settles for nodding back, allowing Emma to move ahead of him on the trail, watching her golden locks bounce slightly with her steps.

They walk deeper still into the woods, the dim winter daylight providing just enough vision to make out the sloping of hills up ahead as the terrain changes. Still Killian scans the skies between watching his footing on the uneven ground, flexing his hand in preparation to draw his sword at a moment’s notice. He catches the occasional bits of conversation from Regina and David up ahead— well, more like bickering, but he’s not too concerned, seeing as the queen bickers with just about everyone.

A sudden movement to the right of the path startles him, and this time he does draw his sword as Emma does the same with her gun. As soon as it’s free of its scabbard, however, he realizes that the disturbance was not, in fact, caused by flying monkeys, but Robin Hood and a few of his— _What were they called?_

Regina extinguishes the fireball in her hand. “Some warning next time would be nice.”

“Yes, because loud voices are so much less startling that the crack of a branch or the rustling of leaves.” Robin sighs exasperatedly. “Either way, I’ll thank you not to harm me or my Merry Men.”

 _Ah, that was it. A bit ridiculous_ , Killian thinks, but since he rather likes the thief, he tries not to be too harsh in his judgement.

Regina seems ready to fire back another retort, but thankfully Emma cuts in. “Was it around here that you saw them?”

Robin nods. “Indeed. A whole pack of them, though why Zelena’s flying monstrosities are in the woods and not terrorizing the town, I can’t say.”

“We’ll take it,” David says.

Emma nods, determined. “Okay, everyone spread out, but stay in sight. If you find one, yell, and the rest of us will come. Maybe if we can lure Zelena out here we can finally take her down.”

Her last words are met with a snort from Regina. “Yes, because that worked so well last time.”

Emma ignores her, already marching past Killian with her gun drawn, shoulders squared and face set in a hard look.

Killian’s heart pangs. _She’s looking for a fight. She wants revenge for what Zelena did to Neal._

“Swan.” Killian lets the tips of his fingers brush over the arm of her coat to get her attention, but quickly withdraws as she turns around. He doesn’t want to send her walls back up with unwanted touches. “Remember what we talked about, in the diner.” He makes sure to meet her gaze, her green eyes simmering with pain and anger.

“I just want her brought to justice, Hook.”

“And she will be, love, of that I have no doubt. Just… please don’t let it come at a cost. Going after revenge fosters recklessness and desperation, and never ends well. You know I’m familiar with this.” Killian sighs, wondering if his words are only serving to make her angrier. “I won’t make you promise to be careful, but just remember that.”

Emma shifts uncomfortably where she stands, seemingly unable to decide if she wants to keep her gaze on him or the frosty ground. She surprises Killian when she settles on him, and her hardened expression softens slightly. “I will.”

Killian nods once, relieved that she is willing to listen to him, and they each turn away to continue their search.

Killian heads toward an opening in the trees, knowing that it indicates a clearing where he might have a better view of the skies. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Emma advancing to his left and David to his right. For a few minutes nothing moves in the woods except for their little posse, the only sound being the footsteps on frozen leaves. Killian halts at the edge of a steep downhill slope, which does indeed meet a clearing in the trees at the bottom.

A wretched screech wrents the air.

“They’re here!” David yells.

A pack of flying monkeys descend on their group, breaking up to target each individual in the patch of woods. Killian hears Emma’s gunshots ring out and the hiss of Regina’s fireballs, and brandishes his own sword as a monster dives right to him.

It’s absolute chaos, with their adversaries easily maneuvering through the air, but they aren’t so far outnumbered that they cannot handle the pack. Robin and his men’s bow and arrows prove especially useful against the beasts, hitting the ones who are too slow to avoid them. Emma with her gun and Regina with her magic also seem able to defend themselves with relative ease. It’s David and Killian, with their close-range weapons, who soon find themselves in the most danger as the monkeys realize that they are the weak points in the group.

In the midst of the fighting, Killian catches the prince’s eyes, and with a shared look they move closer to each other as they fight, until they stand back to back, swords cutting through the frigid air and simian flesh. He can’t remember the last time he was in a such a chaotic, haphazard battle, though he’s sure there was one. Everywhere he turns there’s another enemy, and they move so unpredictably that he can’t find his rhythm in the fight. The monkeys are working on separating him and David again, he knows, and they’re succeeding. Their attacks from above force him and the prince to dodge out of the way, breaking their united front and once again leaving their backs exposed.

It happens so quickly that Killian can hardly process it.

As he pulls his sword from the body of a dead monkey while batting another in the face with his hook, Killian sees one headed straight for David.

David, who is currently battling his own opponent.

Who has his back turned to the oncoming attack.

Who will be defenseless against it.

Killian acts with nary a thought. He sprints across the short distance that once again separates the two of them, and lunges as the monster prepares to sink its claws into David’s jacket. Luckily, Killian reaches him just in time, and he catches the simian in the underbelly with his cutlass, sending it plummeting to the ground before it can harm David.

Unluckily, Killian’s lunge is frantic and desperate, and he lands off balance, propelled by his own momentum.

As his body moves, a blinding pain lashes out from his ankle, and he feels himself falling much further than anticipated. Through the searing pain, he vaguely registers that his right ankle had bent much too far as his foot landed, but that’s all he can comprehend, for his attempt to save his friend has put him one step too close to the steep edge of the hillside, and the misstep that injures his ankle results in him sliding painfully down the slope.

Though he knows, logically, that the fall must be quick, it seems to last forever, as every turn and tumble jostles his injury, and he desperately tries to avoid stabbing himself with his hook, having had the brief clarity to let go of his sword when he first started falling. Panic engulfs him; he can’t see which way is up or down, and can’t see if there are more enemies pursuing him.

By some miracle, he reaches the bottom of the hillside without further injury aside from minor cuts and bruises, and managed to avoid a collision with a tree. However, the pain from his ankle is worse than ever, and Killian can barely concentrate. He doesn’t think he heard a crack when he first injured it, but he can’t be sure because it’s hard to focus on anything right now. It burns in a steady strong throb, and he can’t even bring himself to move his leg, paralyzed as he is by the pain. He hears distant shouts, but cannot tear himself out of his haze to reply.

As if things couldn’t get worse, he is forcefully torn out of fetal position (he can’t even remember curling in on himself) by a sharp tug, followed by claws raking across his chest.

Killian screams in agony, and through the tears of pain blurring his gaze he can make out the dark shapes of Zelena’s minions surrounding him, intent on ripping him apart now that he’s defenseless. He has no power to defend himself from them, even with his hook, and he is sure that their grating cries will be the last thing he ever hears.

-/-/-/-

Emma is so busy fighting her own battle that she almost misses it. But as she shoots another flying monkey, her gaze is inexplicably drawn to where Killian and David are both engaged in battle, and a rush of panic floods through her as she watches one of the monsters fly straight for her father. She has barely raised her gun to try and shoot it down when a whirl of black leather beats her to it; Killian leaps between her father and the enemy to slice it with his cutlass, stopping the attack.

Emma’s relief is short-lived, however, because no sooner has the dead monkey hit the ground than she sees Killian overbalance from his wild thrust, and he disappears down the hillside, his sword left in his place.

“KILLIAN!” She doesn’t even register that she has called him by his true name, and not his moniker, frightened as she is for his safety.

A terrible look of pain had crossed his handsome features as he fell, and she fears that the monster had managed to injure him before he killed it.

Emma sprints to David, who is already turning to see where Hook has gone as he slays another monkey. She reaches the edge of the hill just in time to see Killian tumble to the bottom, and runs down after him as fast as she can without losing her footing as well, vaguely aware that David is close behind her.

A wicked screech echoes amongst the trees, and she looks up and is horrified to see a group of the monsters converging on Killian, who is trying to curl in on himself for protection and seems unable of doing much more.

An even worse sound reaches her ears as Killian screams in pain, and as she finally touches down on flat ground Emma sees a monkey raking its claws across his chest, his skin reddening with blood.

Something painful tugs at her heart, a violent and all-consuming fear, and she only thinks to protect Killian as she raises her gun.

-/-/-/-

He can barely breathe. His lungs are seizing up and won’t release. There’s a rushing in his ears, a manifestation of his panic, and it blocks out all other noise.

Killian has faced worse pain than this, but he cannot get it under control at the moment. His ankle continues to burn, and the wound on his chest stings and throbs. He knows the monkeys are still here, and he’s sure that this is how he will die.

Gunshots shatter his panic and despair, ringing out through the forest. For a wild moment, Killian thinks that another enemy has come to finish him off, and then he realizes that it’s Emma who’s shooting, and that she’s shooting the monsters surrounding him. Her face is set with grim anger as she obliterates them one by one. Some try to fly away, but they meet the sharp steel of David’s sword before they can reach the safety of the trees.

Killian, still unable to move much because of the pain, watches Emma as she shoots down the last monkey. She impatiently brushes her hair out of her face, looking around to ensure that no more are coming, and then runs over to him.

“Killian! What happened?” Emma drops to her knees beside him, already pulling back his shirt and vest to assess the damage to his chest. Though she tries not to show it, her eyes betray her fear, and if Killian weren’t so distracted by his injuries his heart might leap with excitement at this show of care from her.

He hisses as her hand brushes his wound, instinctively trying to writhe away but only managing to jostle his ankle. He squeezes his eyes shut as the pain flares and white spots appear against his closed lids, and he lets out an involuntary moan.

Emma grips his shoulder tightly as she uses her other hand to stuff her gun in its holster, glancing up at David with worry. Killian tries to relax his body, knowing that he is safe for the moment, and does his best to answer Emma’s question.

“I believe I sprained m-my ankle before I fell down the bloody hill,” he says, breathing hard through gritted teeth. “The damned simians took advantage of my position. Couldn’t defend myself in time.” He vaguely gestures to his chest with his hook.

Emma nods, and Killian can see her going into savior mode. “Okay. You didn’t hit your head or anything when you fell?”

Killian lets out a pained chuckle as his ankle wound flares again. “Not that I can recall.”

Emma shuffles from her position near his waist to behind his head. “I’m gonna check just in case.” She tosses her gloves aside, and then Killian feels her hands running gently through his hair and over his skull, looking for bumps and blood.

“Knew you couldn’t keep your- ah- your hands off me, Swan.”

Emma seems to relax a bit as he jests, and Killian notices that she doesn’t remove her hands even though she is done with her inspection. “I think you’re okay on the head wound front. David, how deep do you think that cut is?”

The prince squats next to him, examining the bloody scratch on his chest, and Killian tries to control his shallow breaths so the prince can get a good look. He fervently hopes the bloody demons didn’t tear any of his leathers.

After a minute of silence, David lets out a sigh of relief. “Looks pretty shallow to me. You got lucky, Hook.”

Killian nods. “Indeed.” He groans as he rolls over onto his side, dislodging Emma’s hands from where they had still been in his hair.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Emma asks incredulously.

“We can’t bloody well stay in the woods all night.” Killian manages to get his good leg underneath him, bracing himself for the increased pain that will come when he does the same with his injured one.

Emma rolls her eyes. “True, but you aren’t walking back to the truck on that ankle.”

“I’m touched by your faith in me, Swan, but I’m sure I’ll make do.” Even Killian knows how slim those odds are.

“No, that’s not- ugh- I meant you’re not walking back alone.” Emma crouches down on his left side, pausing to meet his eyes before lifting his hooked arm over her shoulder. “David, can you help me out here?”

David nods, sheathing his sword before mirroring Emma on Killian’s right side.

“Okay, Killian, this is going to hurt.” Emma grips his hook tightly, securing his arm against her. Killian glances at her, surprised to find her still using his true name. “We’ll stand on three. One.”

Killian shifts his weight and bites back a groan as his ankle throbs.

“Two.”

He takes a deep breath. Emma and David wrap their arms around his waist.

“Three.”

They rise together, pulling Killian up as he scrambles to steady himself on his uninjured leg. His hurt ankle brushes the ground once, and he has to bite his cheek to stop himself from crying out.

-/-/-/-

It takes Killian a moment to collect himself after they stand. His eyes are squeezed shut and he’s breathing hard through his nose as he keeps his ankle off the ground.

Emma grimaces in sympathy, familiar with the pain of a sprained ankle after a misstep while chasing a past skip. She wraps her arm more firmly around Hook’s middle, and tries not to be distracted by the hard muscle she can feel through his heavy coat.

“You okay?” she asks.

Killian opens his eyes and clenches his jaw, nodding.

Footsteps crunch against the dead leaves ahead of them, and Emma tears her gaze away from Killian to find Regina, Robin, and the Merry Men have joined them at the bottom of the hill.

Emma feels a flood of relief. Regina should be able to heal Killian.

The queen approaches them. “What happened?”

“Sprained his ankle. And the monkeys got a scratch in.” Emma replies quickly, adjusting herself against Killian’s weight. “Thankfully nothing serious, though. Can you heal him, Regina?”

To Emma’s frustration, Regina shakes her head. “I’ve got to save my reserves for Zelena,” she says, exasperated. “Healing is energetically expensive with dark magic, and you’re nowhere near ready for it with your own powers. If it’s nothing serious, you can be treated at the hospital, Hook.”

“Very well,” Killian grits out. “Shall we go then?”

“Yeah.” Emma glares at Regina as they pass her. “Robin, do you know the fastest way back to where we left the truck?”

“Yes, follow me.”

The journey back is slow, and painful for Killian if his labored breathing and suppressed groans are any indication. He keeps relatively quiet however, despite the sweat beading at his brow as a sign of his exertion. Emma is pleased to see that the wound on his chest has stopped bleeding, though she worries about the trembling she can feel in his arm.

Somehow, her and David manage to get him to the truck, and she supports most of his weight as David unlocks the vehicle and opens the door. Emma takes note of Killian’s white-face and clenched jaw, and her heart aches. They pull Killian up into the cab, and Emma scrambles around to sit between him and David.

She watches Killian worriedly as he leans his head against the window of the truck, wincing as every bump in the road aggravates his injury. He opens his eyes and catches her gaze, mustering up a smile.

“I’ll be alright, love,” he says, though his voice is strained.

Emma does her best to give him a reassuring smile in return.

“Bloody hell,” Killian groans as the truck runs over a particularly large pothole.

Without thinking, Emma reaches over to grasp his hand from where he has it curled into a tight fist, and Killian allows her to slip it between his fingers, squeezing tightly. He glances at her, awe mingling with gratitude in his blue gaze, and looks down at their hands as though he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing.

Emma can’t quite believe it either, but she’ll be damned if she pulls away from him now.

-/-/-/-

The ride to the hospital is relatively quick, thanks to David’s speeding, and before long Killian finds himself being attended to by Dr. Whale and a couple of nurses. They examine his ankle with something Emma calls an “x-ray”, and Whale confirms that it is not broken, only badly sprained, and wraps the ankle snugly in a bandage.

“Keep the ankle wrapped as often as you can, it will prevent further injury and help it heal. You can ice it to reduce the pain and swelling, and over-the-counter pain relievers are fine too,” Whale says as he wraps Killian’s now clean chest wound with it’s own bandage. “Most importantly though, you’ve got to rest it. Stay off of it as much as possible, understood?”

Killian nods, but inside he’s wondering how he’s going to manage the trip upstairs to his room at Granny’s. He’s no stranger to injuries like this, with them being common on the unsteady deck of a ship, and he’s just as familiar with how debilitating they can be.

Whale finishes bandaging his chest, and goes to get Killian an ointment to apply to the wound each day. Killian sighs, resigned to a few weeks alone, already formulating a plan on how to accomplish all of this with his hook.

Emma looks at him curiously, but he avoids her gaze. He doesn’t want her to feel obligated to help him; she has enough on her plate with Zelena.

David walks into the room, having stepped outside earlier to use his phone. “Just talked to Snow, I let her know that we’ll be on our way home soon.”

“I’m sorry to keep you from your wife for so long, mate,” Killian says, and he truly means it. “You both can leave if you’d like. You’ve helped me plenty enough already.” He scratches behind his ear.

Emma tilts her head, confused. “And where are you going after they discharge you?”

“My quarters at Granny’s,” Killian says slowly. “Where else?”

Emma chuckles. “Nah, we’re taking you back to the loft. I can run over and get your stuff from your room tonight.” David nods his agreement.

“Oh- Swan you don’t have to-”

“I know we don’t, but you’re one of us, and we’re going to help you. That’s what friends are for.” She reaches over and squeezes his arm.

“Thank you, but I don’t wish to be a burden-”

“Don’t be stupid, Hook, you’re not,” David cuts in. “You can keep Snow company while you heal.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

Killian glances between father and daughter for a moment, struck by the identical looks of determination and kindness on their faces. Annoyingly, he feels a hot stinging behind his eyes as he accepts their proposition.

“Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” David says nonchalantly. “I’m going to go find a wheelchair so you don’t have to walk out of here.” He departs, leaving Killian alone with Emma.

Killian discreetly tries to blink away the tears that threaten to escape. He’s pretty sure that Emma has caught him though, perceptive as she is.

“I don’t deserve your family’s kindness, Swan,” he says quietly, fiddling with his rings. “How can I ever pay you back?”

“Accept it. And stop insisting that you don’t deserve it and all that crap. You- Killian, you helped us save Henry from Pan, and you brought us to Storybrooke, and today… I saw what happened. You saved David’s- you saved my father’s life.” Emma squeezes where she still has her hand resting on his arm, compelling him to meet the gratitude in her green eyes.

Killian’s heart swells, and his throat constricts slightly. “It was the right thing to do, Swan. You don’t have to repay me for any of it.”

“Doesn’t mean that just anyone would have done it,” she argues. “And I’m not saying that I feel obligated to pay you back. _And_ I’m not doing this just because you got hurt saving David. I-” she pauses, frowning, searching for the right words. “I care about you.” Even Emma seems surprised that she had the strength to say it, her body tensing slightly.

Killian smiles. “Well that’s quite convenient, love, because I care about you too.”

Emma’s tension seems to fall away, and a soft look comes over her face. She leans forward, her long hair brushing against his shoulder, and presses her lips to his. Killian closes his eyes, savoring the moment and the warmth of her skin. The kiss is quick, unlike their heated exchange in the Neverland jungle, but Emma has gotten her point across, and Killian suspects that this is not a one-time thing after all.

Emma whispers _good_ against his lips. As she pulls away, blushing slightly, she asks, “So will you come with us?”

Killian feels his heart settle and sighs, basking in this feeling of _belonging_ despite the lingering pain of his injuries. “Aye. I can do that.”


End file.
